Napalai Hotel — an affordable city hotel near Central Plaza, Udon Thani
If you want a stay in central Udon that's easy on the wallet, a few minutes' drive from Central Plaza and UD Town, with a pool to cool off in — Napalai Hotel is a name budget-minded travellers in Udon mention often · It's a long-established city hotel, open since 1996 and partly renovated in 2019 · 145 rooms with a pool, gym and free airport shuttle · from approx. ฿790/night · scored 8.4 from real guest reviews.
Napalai Hotel is a 145-room midrange hotel on Pracharaksa Road in Ban Lueam, central Udon Thani · Its main draw is the in-town location — about a 4-minute drive to Central Plaza and 5 minutes to UD Town · It sits right next to the National Sports University campus and within walking distance of Pho Si Market · A long-standing city hotel open since 1996 and partly renovated in 2019, it's long been known locally as a venue for banquets, weddings and seminars.
Rooms range from Superior and Deluxe up to Executive and a roughly 96 sqm Family Suite · Reviews agree the rooms are spacious and clean, beds are comfortable, and many higher-floor rooms have nice city views · For this price, you get more space than the newer downtown hotels where rooms tend to be small · To be straight about it, because the building is old, some rooms feel dated — reviews mention peeling wall paint, dim lighting, and shower water that runs hot and cold in places, so if you want a room in good shape, ask for a renovated one at check-in.
"Rooms are bigger than the price suggests, clean, with a nice city view from the window, friendly front-desk staff and a decent breakfast — great value for a central Udon hotel at this rate."
The hotel has an outdoor pool, a gym, the Pah-Kao restaurant and a café · The pool is where opinions split — some find it pleasant, while others complain the water is too cold and the surrounds look dated · The gym is also called old by some guests · Breakfast is a buffet (charged at around ฿200 per adult on some packages) with a good variety that many say is tastier than expected · There's free parking and a free airport shuttle, which are real advantages here.
Service is another area where reviews diverge · Many praise the friendly, helpful reception, but some met staff who didn't speak much English, a card machine that failed, or housekeeping that didn't fully service the room on certain days · One more thing to know: the hotel has an in-house nightclub (Rhythm Bar), which can get noisy on some nights, so if you're sensitive to noise, ask for a room away from that zone.
The overall picture from reviews is a hotel that offers good space and location for the money, as long as you accept the age of the building · Scores on the main booking platforms are solid, while TripAdvisor reviews — skewing more towards international tourists — are tougher, reflecting that if you expect a crisp new hotel, this isn't it · But measured on value per baht in central Udon, Napalai still satisfies many guests.
Bottom line from real guest reviews: Napalai Hotel suits travellers who want a cheap central-Udon base near Central Plaza and UD Town, with spacious rooms, a pool and a free airport shuttle · It's a fit for budget travellers, people in town for work, and those connecting on to Nong Khai or Vientiane who don't mind that the hotel isn't new · But if you're after fresh design, flawless rooms and consistently sharp service, you'll want to add budget and look at the newer boutique hotels in town.
A tip from reading the reviews: ask for a renovated higher-floor room away from the nightclub zone for both the city view and quiet · If you'll use the airport shuttle, give the front desk your flight details in advance, and compare room-only versus breakfast-included rates before booking, since some packages bundle breakfast at better value.
Summary from Booking & Agoda
- ✓ In-town location, 4 minutes' drive to Central Plaza and UD Town
- ✓ Spacious, clean rooms; many higher-floor rooms have city views
- ✓ Has a pool, gym and a varied breakfast
- ✓ Friendly reception, free airport shuttle and free parking
- ! Old building; some rooms feel dated with peeling paint and dim lighting
- ! Pool water is cold and the surrounds look dated; gym equipment is old
- ! In-house nightclub can be noisy on some nights
- ✓ Affordable for the room space you get
- ✓ Close to Central Plaza, UD Town and the Sports University
- ✓ Buffet breakfast tastier than expected
- ✓ Free airport shuttle, handy for travellers on to Nong Khai or Vientiane
- ! Shower runs hot and cold in some rooms; beds firm in places
- ! Some staff speak limited English; card machine occasionally failed
- ! Housekeeping can be inconsistent on certain days
- 💡If you expect a crisp new design hotel in every corner — the building is old and some rooms feel dated with peeling paint → ask for a renovated higher-floor room, or add budget for a newer boutique hotel in town.
- 💡If you're sensitive to noise — the hotel has an in-house nightclub that can be loud on some nights → request a room away from the nightclub zone and on a higher floor.
- 💡If you'll need a lot of English communication — some staff speak limited English and the card machine has failed before → carry backup cash and use a translation app at check-in.